I have a 17.5' Champion bass boat. I currently have a 74# thrust trolling motor. I am wanting to get a terrova but of course, they are expensive and money is also an issue. I am considering buying the Terrova 55 because I can get a good deal on one but am trying to decide if it is really enough thrust for me. My current TM really has more thrust than I need. I never use it higher than 75% and that's only if I want to move a distance a little faster. 90% of the time, I am at 10-50% thrust. I primarily fish in areas out of the wind. I know it will be fine for those areas. I had a terrova before on a little smaller boat that got blown around quite a bit. When fishing open water in strong winds and using the spotlock, I noticed that the terrova really only ran at 3-4 speed out of 10 to maintain my position. I also understand the 24v will have more power than the 12v and the batteries will last longer but I have never ran a battery dead with the old 55 and since I would be ran in parallel, I am thinking that I will be fine.

Anyone else running a 55# on a 17' boat and have any experience on the effectiveness of that size trolling motor? If money was no issue then I'd gladly go with the 80# but it is. I am pretty sure that I'd be fine but worried about spending that kind of cash and then finding out that it won't work for me.

Too bad you weren't at this decision 6 months ago. I sold a Terrova 24V 80# w/52" shaft Built in sonar, with I Pilot link for $1000. It had been used about 10 times. Good luck with decision. I understand your thinking but it would be hard for me to go back to 55# vs. 80#. Like the saying goes. Better to have power & NOT need it than NEED it & not have it.

If your motor runs why pay for something that you already have? Just use the power needed to do the job and call it good. I can't imagine why anyone would downsize a TM. That's like waking up some morning and thinking you wanted a smaller truck.

Much better to have too much than not enough with a TM. If you do end up going after hybrids or stripers or sand bass in the wind I believe you will be disappointed, also trying to stay on deep structure bass fishing in wind. I had a 55lb on an old 16' Skeeter Wrangler that was barely adequate.

Is your current TM broke? Just curious as to why you are wanting to change. I would wait and save for the 80lb if possible.

I want to go back to an ipilot. The current TM is hand control, which I don't like and it has issues. I know all the better to have more power than not enough but that is the question, is it enough? I know I don't need an 80 but might have to go to it. Like Bob's truck analogy, I don't want to buy a 1 ton diesel dually as a work truck just to drive 1 mile to work every day.

So I guess you are wanting the spot lock/anchor feature? Or just the wireless remote? For the spot lock I would get the MG Xi5 before the I-pilot....much better reviews. I still say 80lbs....

If just wanting the wireless remote and spot lock isn't a big deal I would get a 70 lb MK Powerdrive/autopilot w/copilot, mine works very well on my 18.5' Nitro, not GPS so you don't lose control under bridges etc. but doesn't have anchor/ spot lock capability.

Or I see they have the Power Drive 70lb with I-pilot also on the MK website

MK Trolling motors

I looked at the powerdrive. I don't know much about them other than their deployment looks like it isn't very user friendly but I'm researching more. I don't even mind without ipilot because I prefer to have the link anyway so I'd upgrade it.

I know the improved terrovas will be coming out soon as well as the new trolling motor so I might just hold off until some people start upgrading their units.